Asheboro man wins class with rock star

ASHEBORO — One lucky Asheboro resident, Zac Yokum, 21, has been handpicked by legendary Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates to take an intimate master class with the rock star.

ASHEBORO — One lucky Asheboro resident, Zac Yokum, 21, has been handpicked by legendary Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates to take an intimate master class with the rock star.

One of 10 musicians chosen out of over 1,500 submissions nationwide, Yokum will be flown to Hollywood on Jan. 8, 2014, to learn the tricks of the trade from Gates himself. Yokum, along with nine other winners will receive a VIP trip to Los Angeles to attend the master class with Gates in the historic Guitar Center Hollywood Vintage Room, a Schecter Synyster Gates Special electric guitar, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Schecter factory and custom shop and an Ernie Ball accessory prize pack.

Yokum said that he has been a fan of the heavy metal band since he was 15 years old.

"I am very overwhelmed but very excited to be chosen," he said. "I did the demo the first week of the contest (July 1, 2013) so I was on edge until the winners were announced in November. (When I found out) I flipped out and ran around the house a couple of times just to get my nerves calmed down. I was kind of on a cloud."

Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates, ranked #4 in the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time," is one of rock’s most influential guitarists. He joined forces with Guitar Center and Schecter Guitar Research to launch "Master Class with Synyster Gates." The talent-discovery program was developed to provide musicians the chance to have their skills recognized and rewarded with the rare opportunity to learn from a famed guitarist in an intimate setting.

"Avenged Sevenfold has always been a band that champions musicality," said Gates. "I’m passionate about the art of guitar, and this master class is the perfect opportunity to help further the skills and careers of like-minded musicians."

Yokum has been playing guitar since he was 15.

"I kind of grew up on their music and their ‘City of Evil’ album in 2005 was — to me — the pinnacle of guitar playing," Yokum said. "I had never done anything musically until I was around 15 and one day I picked up my brother’s guitar and learned a chord. That was it."

For his submission in the contest he performed "So Far Away." It was written by Gates and is a song Yokum said he really connected with.

"I wanted to do that particular song because my grandfather died the year it came out," he said. "When it first came out, it tugged at my heartstrings. I wanted to do a song that meant something, that I connected to.

"Now to be able to sit down with my hero. It is kind of a dream for me."